MOHAMMED AND CHARLEMAGNE

interdicts relating to turpe lucrum.1 This mentality was merely the
mentality which had disappeared in the Western world and in
Italy since the Arab conquests, but which still survived in Venice,
and in the other Byzantine centres in Southern Italy.

Bari, for example, was still entirely Greek, and retained its
Byzantine municipal institutions until the reign of Bohemond.2
Although Bari was occupied by the Musulmans until 871, their
"Soudan" granted permits for navigation to monks going to
Jerusalem, and recommended them to the Caliph of Baghdad.3

It was the same with Salerno, Naples, Gaeta, and Amalfi on the
west coast. These were essentially active seaports, and, like Venice,
they maintained only a very loose connection with Byzantium;
they also fought for their autonomy against the Duke of Bene-
vento. Their hinterland was far wealthier than that of Venice,
for Benevento had retained its gold currency, and they were not
far from Rome, which remained, owing to its churches, and
the afflux of pilgrims, a great consumer of spices, perfumes,
precious fabrics, and even of papyrus. Moreover, in the duchy of
Benevento there was still a comparatively refined civilization.
Paulus Diaconus taught Greek there to the princess Adelperga;
and there Duke Arachis, at the close of the 8th century, built a
church of Santa Sofia which he embellished with ornaments
brought from Constantinople; he plumed himself upon importing
from the Orient silken fabrics, purple, and vases of chiselled
gold and silver, as well as products from India, Arabia and
Ethiopia.4

Emphasis must be laid upon the fact that the dukes of Benevento
had retained the gold currency,5 and even the Byzantine monetary

1 See in this connection the curious history of Saint G&aud of Aurillac.
F. i. GANSHOP, Note sur un passage de la vie de S. Gfraud d'Aurillac, MELANGES

JORGA, 1933, pp. 295-307.

* BREHIER, Bulletin historique. Histotre byzantine, REVUE HISTORIQUE, vol.
CLIII, 1926, p. 205.

3 GAY, Ultolie meridionale et FEmpire byzantin, p. 66.
0 *Ibid., pp. 46-48.

5 They paid their fines in gold solidi to the Prankish kings.

ISO